Water conservation system for commercial laundries



R. H. CHEYNE Jan. 3, 1967 WATER CONSERVATION SYSTEM FOR COMMERCIAL LAUNDRIES Filed Sept. 50, 1964 INVENTOR ROBERT H. CHEYNE ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,295,339 WATER CONSERVATION SYSTEM FOR coMMERcrAL LAUNDRIES Robert H. Cheyne, 1325 NW. th St., Dania, Fla. 33004 Filed Sept. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 400,509 1 Claim. or. 68-18) This invention relates to an improved system for water control and conservation for power driven clothes washing machines and its principal object is to provide an improved control for these machines whereby a considerable portion of the water supply may be conserved, sterilized and reused in the washing machines resulting in quality work and a greatly reduced cost of water with the improved control.

Another object of the invention is to provide a power driven washing machine of any size, such as machines employed in commercial laundries and with the machines being of the type that are provided with an automatic selector incorporated therein to electrically control the various cycles of the washing machine and having means to automatically dump the rinse Waters from a third rinse to a reserve tank and through a dump valve that is installed in series with an original dump valve and whereby the water employed for a third rinse is discharged from the washing machine and bypassed through a lint and string trap to be subsequently drawn from the trap and forced upwardly to be discharged through an ultra violet sterilizer and then into a hot water tank where it is subsequently returned to the Washing machine.

Novel features of construction and operation of the system will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein has been illustrated like characters of reference and to denote like parts throughout the drawing.

In the drawing, the figure represents a washing machine and the several components of a circulatory system, embodying the invention.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a conventional washing machine having a forwardly opening door 6. Mounted upon the top of the washing machine case 7 is chartered electrically controlled unit 8 of conventional construction and with the unit 8 automatically controlling the sequence operation of the washing machine 5.

The washing machine 5 is supplied with hot water from a hot water tank 9, through a pipe 10, communicating with a T-coupling 11 that is coupled to the casing of the washing machine 7. Cold water is supplied to the coupling 11 from a source of water supply 12 and with the supply 12 passing through a conventional water softener 13. A pipe 14 leads from the water softener 13 to the bottom of the hot water tank 9.

Connected to the bottom of the casing 7 is a T-coupling 15, communicating upon one side with a solenoid valve 16 constituting a dump valve for the wash water and the water from two rinses from the washing machine. The valve 16 controls the discharge for the wash water and two rinses to a discharge pipe 17, that leads to the usual sewer connection and these waters from the valve 16 are normally discharged into the sewer and wasted. Connected to the opposite side of the T is a second dump valve 18 having a solenoid head 19 and with the solenoids 16 and 19 being actuated at timed intervals by the control switch 8. From the dump valve 18, a pipe 21) leads to a relatively large lint tank 21, wherein is collected the water from the third rinse and the tank 21 is provided with removable screens, not shown. The tank 21 has a capacity of approximately 55 gallons of water.

Leading from the bottom of the tank 21 is a pipe 22,

communicating with an electrically driven pump 23. The pump 23 exerts approximately 50 pounds pressure and the by-passed water from the dump valve 19 is forced upwardly from the pump, through a pipe 24 and with the pipe 24 being provided with a T-coupling 25, communicating with a pipe 26 that communicates with an ultra violet sterilizer chamber 27 and from the chamber 27, the water is forced through a depending pipe 28 terminating closely adjacent to the bottom of the tank 9. The sterilizer 27 is of conventional construction having sterilizing lamps 29 therein over which the water flows from the pipe 26. The sterilizer 27 is connected with a source of electrical energy through a conductor 30. The pipe 26 in its length is provided with a cut-off valve 31. Also connected to the coupling 25 is bypass pipe 32, also being provided with a cut-off valve 33. The pipe 32 communicates with a filter 34 and the filter 34 at its top is provided with a by-pass pipe 35, that also communicates with the sterilizer 27 and whereby the water bypassed from the dump valve 19 may pass either directly to the sterilizer 27 or, may be passed through the filter 34 and then into the sterilizer.

The selective control means 8 actuates the washer in timed cycles and is also electrically connected to the solenoid 16 and 19 for dumping wash water and rinse water past the solenoid valve 16 and for a third rinse, the valve 16 is closed and the valve 19 is opened and the third rinse water is bypassed through the system as described. The sour and blue are injected into the machine under the influence of the control device 8 and in the dumping of the third rinse, the sour and the blue are conducted to the tank 21 and under the action of the pump 23, this water is recirculated and sterilized before it enters the main hot water tank 9. The dumping of the water past the valve 16 and 19 is by gravity and the pipe 17 shunts the wash water and the rinse waters directly to the sewer line. The fiow past the valve 19 is by gravity to the tank 21, since this tank is at a lower level. The water employed in washing the clothes passes through the dump valve 16 to the sewer and first rinse and second rinse also passes through the valve 16 to the sewer. With the electrical control device 8, the water supply for a third rinse sour and blue rinses will then pass through the valve 19 and flow to the intermediate tank 21 which is provided with removable screens to catch the lint and strings. This water will then be returned to the hot water tank 9 by the pressure action of the pump 23 and the water from the pump 23 may pass directly to the sterilizer 27 where it is sterilized by the ultra violet lamps and the water then discharged into the hot water tank 9 through the pipe 28. After sterilization, the water will be of acceptable quality, free from all undesirable materials.

In the washing formula when the sour is added, which is sodium acid fluoride which reduces the pH to 5 and at the same time kills all germs or bacteria.

As an example of the very considerable saving of water by the recirculation system, the following has been found true with respect to a fifty pound washing machine.

1 suds 12.9

2 suds 12.9

1st rinse 21.2

2nd rinse 21.2

Gallons into sewer 68. 2

3rd rinse 21. 2

Sour 12.9

Blue 21.2

Gallons of water saved to be bypassed and reused 55. 3

The 55.3 gallons of water recirculated will constitute the amount of water saved by this system and this amount of water constitutes a saving of 110.6 gallons of water each hour and by multiplication, it will be determined the amount of water saved each week and the amount of water that will be saved each year that is ordinarily and heretofore dumped into the sewer.

In the standard washing operation, it is seen that a total of 110 gallons of water are used for the complete cycle of the washing machine and approximately 55 gallons of water are wasted through the sewer for each batch of clothes washed in the complete operations and a large percentage of this water is saved for subsequent washing operations by bypassing the water past the valve 19, through the circulatory system and the sterilizer 27 and this saving of water is of critical importance in areas where the water supply is low and not constant. In any case, a reduction in the total water consumption of a laundry will reduce very substantially the costs of operating the laundry. The recirculated water, with the sterilizer 27 has found favorable acceptance with the various health departments. The electrical control device 8 is standard equipment and involves no additional change to control the second dump valve 18 during a cycle when the first drain valve remains idle. The washing operation is carried on as usual in the order previously stated with one or two sudsing cycles, with one or two rinsing cycles and then there is an automatic shunting of a third rinse water plus the sour and blue rinse waters to be pumped through the ultra violet sterilizer into the usual hot water tank and also the chemicals to neutralize the alkaline water to an acid condition of a pH 5 by the sodium acid fluoride.

In the use of the system in connection with commercial laundry systems, the clothes are first placed within the machine 5, through the door 6. When the door 6 is open, mechanism actuated thereby deactivates the control switch 8, all of which is conventional and well known. The second dump valve 19 is installed to the coupling 15 and the pipe 20 from the valve 19 and is connected to the tank 21. The tank 21 is connected to the pump 23 and the bypass pipes 24, coupling 25, pipes 26 and 32, the filter 34 and the pipes 26 and 35 connected directly to the sterilizer 27. With the door 6 closed, the machine is activated by a suitable button to energize the control device 8. The control device 8 actuates the flow of hot water from the tank 9 to the coupling 11 and the fl-ow of water from a city supply line 12 passes through the softener and also to the coupling 11 where it enters the casing 7 of the washer 5. At a predetermined time, controllable by the switch device 8, the cycle of washing is controlled by the usual wheels within the washer and at a predetermined time, the valve 16 is actuated to dump the wash water to the sewer line 17. Two additional rinses are controllable by the switch 8 for these rinses and by the revolution of the wheels are dumped from the valve 16 to the sewer. A third rinse is then injected into the machine, the valve 16 being de-energized and the valve 19 opened, the third rinse, the sour and the blue passes to the tank 21, carrying with it any lint or strings that may be present in the machine. The pump 23 is then activated, pumping the water from the tank 21 to the pump and from the pump, the third rinse water is forced upwardly through the pipe 24, the coupling 25 and either the pipes 26 or 32 depending on which valve is de-energized. A third rinse is used and bypassed to the sterilizer device where it is sterilized and corresponds to the sterility of the water in the tank 9 for this third rinse replaces the water in the tank 9 that has previously been withdrawn during the washing and rinsing cycles.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that an extremely eifective system has been employed as an addition to a conventional commercial laundry and results in a very considerable saving of water and the cost thereof. The device is simple in construction, easily installed and is most effective for the purposes indicated.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claim.

, I claim:

A water conservation means for clothes washers comprising, a motor driven washer, a fluid supply tank having means for conducting fluid into said washer, two drainage pipes leading away from said washer, one of said drainage pipes leading to waste, an intermediate tank connected to said washer by the other drainage pipe, said intermediate tank having a first filter means therein to remove lint and sediment trapped in said fluid channeled into said intermediate tank from said washer, sterilization means including an ultraviolet lamp, a second filter means, said second filter means further removing any undesirable elements from said fluid, conduit means leading from said intermediate tank, pump means in said conduit means to deliver said fluid from said intermediate tank to either said second filter or directly to said sterilization means, said sterilization means returning the water to the desired level of purity, and conduit means directly interconnecting said sterilization means and said fluid supply tank thereby recycling the fluid so that it may be reused in the washer.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 581,052 4/1897 Woolf 68-18 X 1,450,054 3/1923 Titus 6813.1 3,035,428 5/1962 Curtis et al. 68--13.1 3,165,628 1/1965 Araujo.

FOREIGN PATENTS 890,029 9/ 1953 Germany. 426,019 3/ 1935 Great Britain.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner. 

